Autoclav1.1- You Are My All and More

Artist: Autoclav1.1
CD Title: You Are My All And More
Label: Crunch Pod
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 7-30-06

Autclav1.1 is the project of experimental techno artist Tony Young, whose past work has included remix collaborations with such artists as Terrorfakt and Pneumatic Detach. His first full-length album, then, is surprisingly calm, less violent rage than melancholy and heartbreak. It begins with "Headspatial," a sweet, sad ambient track, before moving into more rhythmic territory with the clattering beats of "This Is The Hollow Point." This is hardly background music, with "Meet Me Half Way" edging its way into hard drum 'n' bass territory and "White Cover" injecting jazzy tribal funk into a pulsing breakbeat, but it isn't really dance music, either. The beats aren't the focus, but merely a skeletal structure for thick washes of soft harmonics. "Tomorrow It Rains," for example, drenches everything in a depressing blur of sustain, while "Letter From Miki City" adorns a laid back drum groove with gentle pianos. "August Sunday Afternoon" takes things even farther into ambient territory, with hollow, faintly sinister depths reminiscent of such artists as Robert Rich and Vidna Obmana, while ending track "When To Care," a collaboration with UK artist Jeye, hints at Oriental influences with soft plucked strings in a whirlpool of spacey whirrs. To keep the power noise fans appeased, this album also contains five guest remixes, with Slacknote's "How Fast Can You Mix?" version of "Meet Me Half Way" and Iszoloscope's "Heaven Likes It Dirty" mix of "White Cover" being the hardest-hitting. Pneumatic Detach also contribute a remix of "White Cover," but it's slow and disturbing, as is Eva/3's "For What Its Worth" mix of "Tell Me When To Care." Closing things off is a second mix of "Meet Me Half Way," this time by Noise/Girl, that's pure grating power electronics worthy of even the most masochistic noise fan. While the remixes don't all quite fit the downcast theme established by Young's original work, it's some great bonus material and more than worthy of club play. The original tracks, however, are lovely and haunting, and fit together into a coherent whole not often achieved by abstract electronic composers. There's no doubt that Young has crafted a masterpiece with this one.

Visit Tony Young at https://sentrymusic.com/autoclav.htm.